Federal Compass MCP MCP Server
io.github.skivuha/federal-compass-mcp
AI advisor for transitioning tech professionals to federal careers—search USAJobs, decode GS grades, and match your skills.
What is the Federal Compass MCP MCP server?
Federal Compass MCP is an AI compass that connects Claude to the official USAJobs API to help tech professionals transition from private sector to federal careers. It translates federal job descriptions from legal jargon into plain English, analyzes your qualifications against postings, and explains federal hiring concepts like GS grades, clearances, and pay plans.
Federal Compass MCP turns confusing federal job postings into actionable guidance. It searches USAJobs with filters, explains federal concepts (GS grades, security clearances, hiring paths), analyzes your CV against specific jobs, and calculates salaries with locality pay. Built for private-sector professionals navigating the federal hiring process.
How to install Federal Compass MCP
Copy-paste configuration for popular MCP clients.
USAJOBS_API_KEYAPI key from developer.usajobs.gov
USAJOBS_EMAILEmail used when requesting the API key
Tools & capabilities
Tools this server exposes to the agent.
search_jobs— Search federal job openings with optional filters for keyword, location, salary, grade, agency, and remote work.get_job_details— Retrieve full details for a specific federal job posting.compare_jobs— Compare 2-5 federal job postings side by side.save_cv— Save your CV locally for automatic use in job analysis and qualification checks.get_cv— Read your saved CV.explain_federal_concept— Explain federal hiring concepts including GS grades, security clearances, hiring paths, and pay plans.calculate_salary— Calculate GS salary with locality pay adjustments for any grade, step, and location.find_matching_jobs— Find USAJobs postings that match your CV by extracting your skills and searching.check_qualification— Compare your CV against a specific job posting to assess qualification.extract_ksa— Extract KSA (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities) requirements from a job posting and optionally match against your CV.
Use cases
- Search federal job openings in your location and salary range, then get plain-English explanations of what each posting actually requires.
- Understand your federal career path: learn what a GS-13 salary is, how security clearances work, and which hiring paths you're eligible for.
- Upload your CV and get matched to relevant federal jobs automatically, then check if you qualify for specific postings.
- Compare multiple federal job offers side-by-side to understand differences in grade, location, salary, and clearance requirements.
- Decode federal job descriptions: extract KSA requirements and understand how your private-sector skills map to federal qualifications.
Federal Compass MCP MCP server FAQ
It's an MCP server that connects Claude to the official USAJobs API to help private-sector professionals understand and apply for federal jobs. It translates federal jargon, searches openings, analyzes your qualifications, and explains hiring concepts.
Yes. You need a free USAJobs API key (takes 3 minutes to register at developer.usajobs.gov), and the MCP server itself is open-source MIT licensed.
Install via npm by adding the server to your MCP config file with your USAJobs API key and email as environment variables. See the README for exact config syntax for Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
No, it's optional. You can use the server to search and learn about federal jobs without uploading a CV. If you do save a CV, it's stored locally on your machine and never sent to any server.
You need a free USAJobs API key (register at developer.usajobs.gov) and your email address. Both are set as environment variables when configuring the MCP server.
It explains GS grades and pay steps, security clearance levels (TS/SCI, etc.), competitive vs. excepted service hiring paths, locality pay adjustments, and other federal hiring terminology.
README (reference)
Source of truth, from the repository.
federal-compass-mcp
Your AI compass from private sector to federal career
Federal job descriptions are 5 pages of legal language. GS grades, clearance levels, hiring paths — none of this is explained anywhere. federal-compass-mcp connects Claude to the official USAJobs API and turns it into an AI advisor that speaks plain English.
Built for tech professionals transitioning from private sector to federal/government careers.
What it does
- Searches federal job openings with optional filters — keyword, location, salary, clearance level
- Translates federal job descriptions into plain language — what they actually want, without the jargon
- Analyzes your CV against specific job postings and tells you if you qualify
- Explains federal concepts — GS grades, pay plans, security clearances, hiring paths
- Saves your CV locally so Claude can reference it automatically
Getting started
1. Get your free USAJobs API key
Register at developer.usajobs.gov — takes about 3 minutes. Verify your email and you'll receive an API token.
2. Add to your MCP client
Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"federal-compass": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "federal-compass-mcp@latest"],
"env": {
"USAJOBS_API_KEY": "your_api_key",
"USAJOBS_EMAIL": "your@email.com"
}
}
}
}
VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf — same config, different config file path. See your client's MCP documentation.
3. Try it
Find me senior software developer jobs in Raleigh, NC
What is a GS-13 and how much does it pay?
Save my CV [attach file]
Look at this job posting — am I qualified?
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_jobs | Search federal job openings. All filters optional — keyword, location, salary, grade, agency, remote |
get_job_details | Get full details for a specific job posting |
compare_jobs | Compare 2-5 job postings side by side |
save_cv | Save your CV locally for automatic use in analysis |
get_cv | Read your saved CV |
explain_federal_concept | Explain GS grades, clearances, hiring paths, pay plans |
calculate_salary | Calculate GS salary with locality pay for any grade, step, and location |
find_matching_jobs | Find jobs matching your CV — extracts skills and searches USAJobs |
check_qualification | Compare your CV against a specific job posting |
extract_ksa | Extract KSA requirements from a job posting, optionally match against your CV |
CV storage
Your CV is stored locally on your machine — never sent to any server:
~/.federal-compass/
cv.json
config.json
codelists/ <- cached USAJobs reference data
Why federal jobs are confusing (and how this helps)
Coming from private sector, federal job postings feel like a different language:
- GS-13 Step 1-10 — what grade am I? what does step mean?
- TS/SCI with polygraph — do I need this? how long does it take?
- Competitive vs Excepted Service — which one can I apply to?
- HiringPath: fed-transition — what is this and why does it matter?
federal-compass-mcp answers all of these through natural conversation with Claude.
Requirements
- Node.js v22+
- Free USAJobs API key
- Any MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, etc.)
Contributing
Issues and PRs welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
License
MIT — see LICENSE
Built by @skivuha — a Senior Frontend Engineer navigating the private-to-federal transition firsthand.
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